Cricket’s highly anticipated inclusion in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics got a shot in the arm when the International Olympic Committee (IOC) shortlisted it along with eight other sports disciplines for review. Cricket has only competed once in the 1900 Olympics in Paris, with Great Britain and host country France as the only participants.
According to ESPN Cricinfo, the development comes a day after the International Cricket Committee (ICC) was formally invited by both the LA28 and the IOC to submit a presentation to consider their case.
However, a final decision is expected to be announced before the International Olympic Committee (IOC) session in Mumbai sometime in mid-2023.
The other eight sports eligible for the flagship show are baseball/softball, flag football, lacrosse, break dance, karate, kickboxing, squash and motorsport.
In February this year, the IOC said a total of 28 sporting events will be part of the Los Angeles Games, adding that the “potential new sports” will be considered with a focus on the youth.
According to the IOC dictate, a sport must clear a number of criteria to be eligible for inclusion.
This includes priorities for reducing cost and complexity, engaging the best athletes and health and safety-focused sports, global appeal, host country importance, gender equality, youth relevance, maintaining integrity and fairness to clean sports. support, and long-term sustainability.
Cricket is currently featured in the ongoing Commonwealth Games, with the women’s T20 format played between eight countries, although only the women’s teams participate.
However, for a sporting event to be featured in the Olympics, it must be for both men and women.
ICC CEO Geoff Allardice said he was pleased with the way cricket was viewed at the Birmingham Games and that the sport was a “top attraction” on the showpiece.
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“We’ve seen from the Commonwealth Games how many of the world’s best players have enjoyed playing in front of huge crowds and I’m sure it will be a huge TV audience,” Allardice told the website.
(This story was not edited by DailyExpertNews staff and was generated automatically from a syndicated feed.)
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